


Equal Partners

by FlightlessAngelWings



Series: Equal Partners [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Battle Couple, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Mando is a badass, Mutual Pining, reader is a badass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:15:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23448400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlightlessAngelWings/pseuds/FlightlessAngelWings
Summary: Ever since the small green child came into your lives, things turned completely sideways. You had been travelling with the Mandalorian for some time before he received the fateful bounty and then defied the code to rescue the child. You supported his decision, as you always did, and you found yourself quickly attached to your new ward. And it was through that series of events that you all found yourself crash landed on the remote planet of Tatooine.
Relationships: The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Original Female Character(s), The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Reader, The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/You
Series: Equal Partners [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1820476
Comments: 11
Kudos: 127





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place during episode 5 of season 1

Ever since the small green child came into your lives, things turned completely sideways. You had been travelling with the Mandalorian for some time before he received the fateful bounty and then defied the code to rescue the child. You supported his decision, as you always did, and you found yourself quickly attached to your new ward. And it was through that series of events that you all found yourself crash landed on the remote planet of Tatooine.

“Well, as far as bounties go, we got lucky landing here,” you voiced your observation as you both gathered your weapons to head off, “This planet is a hive of scum.”

“Lucky us,” the bounty hunter spoke in a playfully sarcastic tone as he set the child in a small closet to nap and double checked to make sure he was safely tucked away. When he was satisfied, he gave you a pat on your shoulder to let you know he was ready to head off. As you both got more comfortable with each other, a lot of your communication became non-verbal, and it didn’t take many words to know what the other was thinking at any given time.

You were met with the owner of the garage, Peli Motto, and her team of repair droids. Mando bargained with her for repairs to the ship and added, “No droids,” in a firm tone at the end of the conversation before he moved to head off.

She turned to you, “He’s got a thing about droids, huh?”

“Mmhmm,” you confirmed, “Thanks for your help,” you spoke in a softer tone than the Mandalorian.

“What about you? Not a fan of droids either?” She seemed genuinely curious.

You let out a sigh, “I don’t mind ‘em,” you said with a shrug, “The way I see it, a droid will kill you, but a person… A person will tortue you,” you let her draw her own conclusion about your statement as you followed your partner out of the landing area. 

It wasn’t long before the pair of you found yourselves in a greesy cantina to ask about any lead on a local bounty. The bartender informed Mando that the old Hutt palace recently restarted its operations under a new leader. “If there’s any work for a bounty hunter, you’ll find it there,” he said while he barely looked up from the glass he poured. 

While he spoke with the barkeep, you stood next to Mando and scanned the crowd for any threats. It became a habit for you to always watch his back while his attention was focused, and you trusted him to do the same for you. When his conversation was finished, he turned to you and you knew what he was thinking without the need of any words. Mando led the way, but as you went to leave, a hand grabbed your arm. You gasped in surprise and tensed, but waited to react; you didn’t want to make a scene if you could avoid it.

“Where are you going, sweetheart?” a sweaty older man taunted you.

Mando spun around, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he threatened.

“Why? You gonna kick me ass for touching your girl?”

You rolled your eyes, and you could tell from the way his head rolled back he did the same, “She doesn’t need my help.”

With that, you made quick work of the man. You swung your head back so that you collided with his nose, then swiftly punched him in the gut and tackled him to the ground. “And now you know,” you said in his ear, “Not to touch people without permission.”

Mando watched proudly as you handled yourself and used techniques that he taught you. He found himself protective of you, but you also liked to prove you could take care of yourself so he always gave you that chance before he ran in to help. A drunk man at a bar was not an issue for you, but he was always there as back up just in case. “Shall we go?” he offered. You nodded with a huff as you walked out of the cantina together.

And that was how you and the Mandalorian found yourself at the door of the giant palace on the outskirts of town. He knocked on the gate, and grumbled when he was met with a droid who asked questions in Huttese. Mando let out a sigh and turned to you. You met his helmeted gaze and gave him a reassuring look.

Because of your past, you were fluent in the language, so you answered on his behalf, “We’re looking for work, anything your boss can offer.”

The droid slunk back inside and the gate opened up. You and Mando exchanged a quick look before you both headed inside. When you first started traveling with him, you tended to walk behind him, but now you felt more comfortable at his side. Over the years, he taught you how to perfect your already established fighting techniques, how to fly, and other relevant skills. Yet he never made you feel inferior or like he thought lesser of you. He always treated you as an equal from the very beginning.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” you muttered as you made your way down the dim hallway.

Mando didn’t say anything, but he had the same feeling in his chest. The more time he spent with you, the more he just wanted to reach out and hold you, especially after the child entered your lives and he saw how good you were with him. He found himself face to face with feelings he never had before, but he never let it show. He buried his thoughts deep down; one day the time would be right to bring it up.

At the end of the hallway was the large open main area where everyone was gathered. The area itself looked like it hadn’t changed much over the years; the few things that were in the room were on the old side. The leader, a young member of the Hutt family, lay sprawled out on a large, cushy chair. About three dozen armed bounty hunters of various races stood scattered across the room. The leader eyed you and the Mandalorian up and down before he spoke.

“It’s been awhile since we had a Mandalorian grace our presence. And with such a lovely girl too,” the Hutt leader spoke with a bitter tone, “Makes the life less lonely doesn’t it?”

You scowled but quickly got yourself under control. You knew how dangerous these people were, so it was best to keep any emotions in check. Mando, however, didn’t miss the look that flashed across your face, and even though you didn’t translate, he knew he didn’t like what was said. You took a breath before you replied, “We’re looking for any bounties you may have.”

He thought for a moment as he scanned the crowd of his minions “There is someone that’s been causing trouble for us, taking any hits on her behalf instead of for our little organization. Fennec Shand. She’s bad for business lately, and I need her taken care of. But I want her brought to me alive.”

Once you finished translating for the Mandalorian, he addressed the Hutt, “Consider it taken care of.”

The leader sneered, and Mando didn’t like the look on his face. He was too focused on the Hutt to notice the movement behind him, and before he could react, one of the others in the room swooped in and grabbed you by your wrists. In one quick movement, he grabbed you, forced you to your knees and pressed a blaster right to the back of your head. You yelped at the pain; he held you right where you had a large, prominent scar on your lower arm. No one knew, except for Mando, because you always kept your arms completely covered.

Mando pulled out both his blasters in response and pointed one at our captor and one at the Hutt. This made others in the room draw their own weapons. You cursed to yourself for letting your guard down like that as the room fell into a standoff. You couldn’t see, but Mando was just as angry at himself for the situation.

“What the fuck?!” The bounty hunter’s voice was raw with rage and emotion.

The Hutt laughed, “I need a consolation prize,” he spoke in basic for the first time, “If you can’t bring what I ask in 24 standared hours, I keep your girl.”

The Mandalorian shook in anger, “Absolutely not. She is not a bargaining chip,” he kept his weapons aimed as he scanned the room to calculate his next move.

You also scanned the room and counted the number of thugs and weapons around you. The hard truth was that there was no way you could blast your way out of this situation alive, so you spoke up, “Fine!” You tried to cover your nerves, but your shoulders still shook a bit.

This shocked Mando as he whipped around to face you, “No,” he almost pleaded. But it was too late.

“Deal,” the Hutt spoke. “You have 24 hours, Mandalorian.”

His shoulders tensed as he read the microexpressions on your face. He was silent for a moment before he caved in, “Fine,” he lowered his weapons and the others in the room followed suit, “But I need to speak with her first,” he spoke strongly so there was no room for negotiation. 

“Very well,” the Hutt waved.

Mando wasted no time and pulled you from your captors clutch. You let him lead you to the edge of the room where you could speak privately. “I don’t like this,” his voice was low, but you could hear the worry there.

“I don’t like it either,” your eyes darted around, “But we’re badly outnumbered, Mando. And they literally have home field advantage,” you looked directly at him and realized that he held you tightly. You made no attempt to move as you continued, “I’d rather put my faith in you and your skills right now.” Your heart pounded from a mix of adrenaline running through your system and the feeling of his strong, protective grip on you.

He sighed heavily. He knew you were right, he just didn’t like it. This was the last situation he wanted to ever put you in, especially because of your past. He let go of your arm to caress your face, and he felt his heart skip a beat when you let out a sigh and leaned into his touch. 

“Alright,” he sounded defeated, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Your eyes met his visor and you nodded, “I know,” you tried to sound strong for him but truthfully, you were terrified. Normally, you were tough and strong and handled anything that came at you with ease. But this was your one fear: captivity. 

It was then that two men grabbed you again and pulled you away from the Mandalorian. You both reached for each other to stay connected as long as possible, and it was the hardest thing Mando ever did to watch you be dragged away. He addressed the leader with a warning, “If any harm comes to her,” his words dripped with fury as he couldn’t even finish his thought.

“Yes, yes,” he waved dismissively.

The bounty hunter watched as they took you down below, and only turned to leave when you were completely out of sight. As he made his way out, a young man who had been watching everything from the outskirts of the room approached him.

“Want some help there, Mando?” he offered as he strode up to the bounty hunter. 

He didn’t even slow down, “Not particularly.”

The young man was persistent, “Listen, we can help each other out. I know the dunes here, and you’re a Mandalorian, which means you’re the best bounty hunter there is.”

Mando finally stopped as they reached the front gate, “Fine. Just don’t get in my way.”

He smiled and introduced himself, “ Toro Calican .” When the Mandalorian simply gave a nod in response, he continued, “This will really help me out, man. I’ve been trying to get in with these guys for awhile, and this will be my big break to get in the door here.”

The bounty hunter only half listened to Toro’s rambling as they made their way into the dunes. They were able to find where Fennec’s hideout was easily enough, but their challenge lay in making their way across the vast desert without being taken out by her sniper shots. He laid out behind a smaller hill as he scanned the area in front of them. He could see the heat signature from their target, but without any cover, there was no way they would reach her alive.

“What are you thinking, Mando?” the young man asked.

He didn’t like it but, “We have to wait for nighttime to get some cover.” He gritted his teeth under his helmet as he moved into a resting position. “You take the first watch. Make sure no one leaves the area,” he ordered as he let himself relax a bit for the first time that day.

Toro took Mando’s place at the hill, but couldn’t stay silent for too long, “So, what’s the deal with the chick?” he asked as his curiosity got the best of him, “Is she like your apprentice or servant or something?”

“She’s not my servant,” Mando snapped, which surprised Toro. He took a breath before he spoke again in a calmer voice, “She’s my…” he never really thought about what he would label you, and it always bothered him when people assumed you were somehow beneath him, “Partner,” he finally settled on the best word. He ignored any further questions from Toro as he let himself drift off to sleep for a bit. And when he finally dozed off, he dreamt about when you two first met.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, this is the flashback chapter to where they first meet. Enjoy!

The Mandalorian landed on a rainy planet on the outer rim with towering buildings and a large bustling city. He didn’t bother to remember the name of where he was; his focus lay solely on the bounty he was after. It was the usual routine for him: travel to some planet, find the target, and take take of it. But, there was something on this planet that would change his life forever, he just didn’t know it yet.

He made his way through the city streets and noticed how abundant gambeling, spice, and slaves were in this area. Every other doorway he passed led into a colorfully lit space or a party with loud music blasting out of the walls. He ignored anyone who tried to grab his attention and kept his focus on his bounty.  The bounty itself came from one of the top leaders of the area, and it was worth a lot, so that was all that Mando wanted from this place.

Rain clanked against the beskar as Mando found himself in a shady area of the city. He held the puck in his hand as he navigated the darkened streets. Eventually, a group of younglings noticed him and bounced up to him to ask why a Mandalorian was in this part of the city. He tried to brush them off so he could continue alone, but they were persistent.

“I’m looking for someone,” Mando finally caved, but gave as little information as possible and kept his guard up.

“We can help! We know these streets,” a chorus of the kids and teenagers responded back as they tried to lead the bounty hunter in a different direction. 

Mando was reluctant to trust them, but after hours of scouring the city, he had no other leads. He gave the group a small nod to tell him to lead the way. He didn’t make it far, however, when a hooded figure, you, sprang out of the shadows and grabbed him by the arm. Mando was about to draw his blaster, but you raised your finger to your lips in a shushing motion and he was able to get a glimpse of your eyes. 

You spoke, “Shh, listen to me,” your voice was low so that the group ahead couldn’t hear, “Don’t trust them. Follow me.”

The bounty hunter hesitated for a moment as he weighed his options. His body relaxed and he motioned for you to lead the way, which you gladly did. Mando wasn’t sure why he decided to trust you over the kids. Perhaps it was the look on your face that seemed so genuine, laced with the sadness that shadowed your eyes. You led him in the opposite direction to a dimly lit area and slipped away from the group before they could notice the Mandalorian was gone.

This was definitely a poorer area of the city: it wasn’t nearly as bright as the other district and everything looked torn and old and rusty. Mando took the opportunity to study you as you led the way through the streets. You wore a hooded cape to cover yours elf completely, and your long sleeves and long pants were torn up and looked very worn out. Hardly any part of  your skin showed, only your face when you pulled your hood back and your fingertips from your fingerless gloves.

“Right here,” your voice rang through the silence as you motined to a rusted door. You figured that he wouldn’t trust you to stand behind him, so you entered the space first. There wasn’t much there, only a small light source, some blankets in a pile in the corner and a few miscellaneous things. 

Mando realized this was your home, or what you could call a home. 

“Are you gonna tell me what’s going on here? Or did I make a mistake in trusting you?” he spoke to you for the first time.

You grabbed a rusty cup and poured yourself some water from a pot before you sat down to answer his question, “You didn’t make a mistake,” you started as you pulled your hood back to show your entire face and told him your name, “Those kids seem innocent, but they work for Rix Izen, the head honcho among the rich here.”

The Mandalorian didn’t miss the painful tone in your voice, “I take it he’s not a benevolent leader.”

You scoffed as you grabbed your wrist before you realized your own movement, “You have no idea,” your gaze dropped to the floor as you lost yourself in thought. You seemed to fight a battle with yourself as you stayed silent for a while. With a heavy sigh, you looked back up at him and explained further, “They lure bounty hunters here to trap them, and Rix likes to make them fight in his arena for entertainment.”

Mando was about to say something, but you interrupted before he could even get a word out.

“I know what you’re gonna say, and they’ve gotten Mandalorians before,” the sorrow was clear in your face as your fingers traced the inside of your wrist again.

The bounty hunter found himself ache for you; he could tell that this was personal, “You’ve seen it happen before,” his voice was soft as he sat next to you.

You nodded as you bit your lip. Now that he was closer to you, he could see bruises on your face, and he wondered how many you hid under your clothing. He glanced around the space and made a note that you most likely haven’t been here long, which meant you came here from somewhere else. By the way you talked about the city’s leader and entrapped people, he made a guess, “You were a slave too? Weren’t you?”

You wrapped your arms around yourself and nodded again. Tears threatened to fall, but you did your best to fight them back, “I’ve been a slave as long as I can remember; I grew up in that life. I got lucky too, I was Rix’s favorite” your tone changed to a more sarcastic one and you let out a bitter chuckle, “I could handle it, though, because I wasn’t totally alone. One of the bounty hunters they lured in used to be a Mandalorian, like you,” you looked up at Mando, who was listening attentively.

“What happened?” he asked with genuine concern.

“Her name was Pisces, and she was their top contender for a long time,” you told your story, “Over time, we got very close. She was always so hopeful that one day we would escape and live free. She taught me how to fight and defend myself, so we could get out together. I hated to watch her fight for her life every week, and she hated to see what Rix did to me too,” you drifted off for a bit as you thought back to everything that man did to you.

Mando lifted his arm to reach out to you, but before he made contact, he decided against it. The notion didn’t go unnoticed by you, however, and you gave him a soft smile in appreciation.

“For the longest time, we trained and planned our escape without anyone knowing. But I think Rix got word of it somehow, and the next fight that he had set up was,” you got choked up at the memory, “It was rigged from the start, and there was no way she could have won,” a few tears fell and you took some deep breaths to level yourself, “I had to watch the one person that I cared about die in front of me, and there was nothing I could do for her. That was when I decided I needed to get out, no matter what.”

“How did you escape?” he asked.

“Barely,” you sighed, “I managed to slip out while they were celebrating after that fight,” you rolled up your sleeve to reveal the inside of your wrist, “I burned off my mark right before I left the premises.” The wound was fresh, maybe about a week old, and it looked painful.

Mando knew that it was a constant throughout most of the galaxy to put some kind of mark on slaves. He also knew it was a rough process for anyone who tried to remove their mark, though he had seen it done before. After he heard your story, he understood your actions, and he was grateful for you. Suddenly, the bounty he was after didn’t matter to him. Although based on what you told him, he had a feeling that it was a fake bounty to begin with.

You let out a heavy sigh. It was hard for you to say all that out loud, but it was worth it. If you could prevent what happened to someone you cared about from happening to someone else, it was worth the heartache. You lessed your grip on yourself as you lifted your gaze to meet the Mandalorian’s visor, “So, now what?” you asked after some time passed in silence.

He met your eyes and spoke with determination, “I’m going to kill him.” He paused as he stared at you, “But to get to the most powerful man in the city, I’m going to need help. And I need you to trust me.”

You swallowed hard, “Ok.”

That was how you found yourself back in the one place you never wanted to see again. The bounty hunter held you by your arm as you made your way up the elevator to the top floor. You tried to keep yourself taught and not show the fear that ran through you. The lift stopped suddenly and you could feel Mando give you a quick, reassuring pat on your arm before the door opened and he led you towards the men in the room.

Rix stood in the center of three men with a smug expression on his face, “I knew you’d be back my sweet.” His words made even Mando’s skin crawl. “You’ll be handsomely rewarded, my friend,” he addressed the Mandalorian directly as he directed his men with a wave of his hand.

“Actually...” the bounty hunter started before he let you go so you both could pull out blasters. You each shot one of the two of the henchmen in the face. He then pushed you behind him to shield you.

The last two men were quick to jump into action and pounced at Mando. The subordinate was easy for him to take down, but Rix himself proved to be more of a challenge. You ducked back away from the fight and watched as the two men tackled and punched each other. Rix pulled out a whip, his weapon of choice, and Mando armed himself with a staff.

You watched with awe as their fight brought them closer and closer to the landing platform outside. You held the blaster Mando gave you tightly in your hand. You wanted desperately to fire on Rix, but you couldn’t get a clear shot and your fear almost paralyzed you.

Just when it looked like Rix gained the upper hand and pinned the bounty hunter to the ground, Mando turned the tide and flipped him over. He hit him hard with his staff and forced him towards the edge of the platform.

“Why would you risk everything for a slave girl?” Rix spat as he was forced to go on the defensive.

The Mandalorian did not answer; he only kept his attacks furious. He didn’t want to think about the things the man did to you, or what he could do if he lost this fight. The pouring rain made the floor slick, and it became harder for both men to keep their balance. But, Mando was able to finally end it, and he pulled out his blaster. He shot his target twice: once in the shoulder and once in the leg to throw off his balance. He started to fall, and Mando took a moment to face you and make sure you were ok. You ran closer when you saw that Rix wasn’t going to win this fight and watched as he started to go over the edge.

It only took that one moment of distraction, and Rix snapped his whip as he fell off the edge of the platform.

“Mando!” you called out.

But it was too late to react, Rix’s whip already wrapped around the bounty hunter’s legs and pulled him down to the slick floor. He tried to break free, but his body was dragged toward the ledge. He fired his blaster and after a few shots, hit him with a fatal shot. But it was too late to stop the momentum that pulled him closer and closer to the edge of the balcony.

Without hesitation, you ran after him. You caught up to him right as he went over the end of the landing, and with one hand you grabbed him and with the other you held onto the edge. You strained as you called on every bit of strength you could to hang on and not let Mando go.

“Easy,” his voice was surprisingly calm for the situation you were in. The only thing that stood in the way of a long fall was your one handed grip on the very end of the platform. “Just take it slow, no sudden movements.”

All you could do was grunt in response; all of your focus and energy was on your hands as you chanted to yourself “don’t let go, don’t get go.” But you did hear him, and after a deep breath, you used all your adrenaline to slowly pull Mando’s armored body up so that he could grab onto the platform. Your heart pounded in your chest as you pushed through your fear.

Somehow, you managed to lift him high enough to reach, and Mando grabbed on and helped you pull yourselves up and away from the edge. You were weak after over exerting yourself, and you panted as you lay out on the floor. A sense of relief washed over you as you calmed down.

“You ok?” he asked as he propped himself up and hovered over you.

You let out a few more breaths before you opened your eyes and answered him, “Yeah,” another breath, “You’re a lot heavier than you look,” you let out a chuckle as your heart rate started to go back to normal.

“Thank you,” he spoke in that soft voice again. 

“No problem,” you said with a chuckle as you sat up and stretched out your shoulders.

He watched you in silence for a moment before he said something you did not expect, “Hey listen, why don’t you come with me?”

You turned to him and your face lit up. Even though you weren’t expecting the offer, you were hoping for it as you found a strong bond with the bounty hunter in the short amount of time that you knew him.

“It wouldn’t be an easy life,” he continued, “But I can teach you everything I know. We’ll split all the bounties we get and…”

“Yes,” you cut him off. You were already convinced to join him. Any life he could offer you was infinitely better than the one you had here, and you were more than willing to take any chance with him. “I just have one condition.”

“Name it.”

“We never come back to this planet again.”

Mando’s shoulders relaxed, “Deal,” he said and you guessed that he hid a smile underneath his helmet. He held out his hand to you, which you gladly took.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really excited about this chapter cause this backstory is what I thought of first. I got the idea after I read Lord of the Sith and thought of an ex slave reader character. And I liked the idea of someone that everyone looks down on, but Mando immediately sees as a equal.  
> Follow my writing tumblr @FlightlessAngelWings :)


	3. Chapter 3

You woke up in a cell, and you guessed it was early morning already. Honestly, you didn’t even remember when you fell asleep, but your cell mates promised to watch over you and you must have drifted off. You lay there for a few moments before you sat up and thought about your dream. It had been a while since you thought about the day you and Mando first met, and it was strangely comforting that you dreamt about it.

When you were placed into the cell, you were met by three women, two Twi’leks and a human. They all had an expression that you were familiar with, and you knew immediately that they were slaves. It made your blood boil to see anyone treated that way. They were quick to help you and reassure you the best they could, but you could hear the hopelessness in their voices.

“Thank you,” you told them after you stretched, “Listen, I’m going to get you all out of here.”

The oldest one scoffed, “How?” You could tell that she had been here for a long time, and your heart ached for her.

“Someone is coming back for me, and I’ll figure out a way to free you.”

She couldn’t respond to you, because then the door swung open with a loud clang. Two guards came in, and the three slaves scrambled to the back of the cell. You were slower to react and all you did was jump to your feet before they grabbed each of your arms to lead you out of the cell.

The sun had just risen and you squinted as they dragged you to the bright room. Even though it was early in the morning, the Hutt had his minions gathered in the main chamber, and they all watched as you were brought before the leader. You could hear mumbles of conversation, and you were grateful that you couldn’t make out exactly what they said.

You sneered up at the Hutt, “I know it hasn’t been 24 hours,” you spoke in basic to insult him.

He smiled grotesquely at you, “I’m aware,” he answered in Huttese since he knew you understood, “But we have matters to discuss.”

“I have nothing to discuss with you,” you switched to Huttese, “Once the Mandalorian comes back, we’re out of here,” you left out your plan to free the other women on purpose.

“I think we do,” he paused to take a sip of his drink, “You know I can always recognize a slave when I see one.”

That made your blood run cold. You tried to hide your shock, but you couldn’t. Your eyes went wide and your body stiffened as a fresh wave of fear took hold of you, “What?”

A darkness swept across the Hutt’s face, “I wonder who you escaped from and how much they’ll pay to have you back,” he chuckled as he toyed with you, “Or if I want to keep you for myself.”

You had enough. You clenched your jaw and inhaled sharply before you moved. In a fluid movement, you broke yourself free and grabbed a blaster from one of your captor’s belts. You didn’t hesitate to shoot both men on either side of you in the chest.

The room erupted and another man rushed up to tackle you. You struggled for a moment before you were able to break free and you pulled a knife that you kept hidden on yourself and slashed his throat. A fourth rushed up to you and engaged you in hand to hand combat. You used all the skills the Mandalorian taught you to fight him off and win.

The Hutt seemed amused. When the rest of his men tried to overpower you, he held up a hand so that only one would engage you at a time. The rest were instructed to create a barrier around you to trap you in. This cycle went on a few more times and one by one, they tried to take you down. You could hear his dark laugh over the sounds of shouts and grunts in the room.

You were able to take down about a half a dozen men before one came up that got the upper hand on you. He was able to punch you right in the face, and you knew you would have a black eye from it. He then knocked the blaster out of your hand and wrestled you down to the ground. You fell on your back and you tensed when he hovered over you with a knife in his hand. He leaned over as he stepped on your chest and held the knife to your throat.

Before he could push on you any harder, the door to the room swun open with a bang and the Mandalorian walked through. Behind him, Toro led the bound Shand. Everyone in the room froze. But the Hutt’s smile never left his face, and while his men tensed, he only laughed. Mando stepped into the room and what he saw made him more angry than he’d been in a long time.

“You broke our deal, Hutt,” his voice was strong, and the rage was almost palpable. 

Mando’s gaze met yours for a moment before he pulled out his blaster and mowed down everyone that stood close to him. The rest of the gang retialited and launched themselves at the bounty hunter. He easily fought them off with his array of weapons he always carries on him. Meanwhile, you took advantage of the distraction and grabbed a small blade and shoved it right in your most recent attackers neck. You got up and used the blade to fight off those close to you before Mando yelled an order at you.

“Stay down!” 

You flattened your body to the ground and covered your head. When he saw you were secure, the Mandalorian steadied his arm and aimed his flamethrower at the rest of the thugs in the room. He then turned his attention to the Hutt. All of his anger was channeled through his weapons as he first burned the leader and then took his blaster back out and shot him multiple times. He delighted as he watched the life leave the Hutt’s eyes. 

Once everyone in the room was dead, Mando rushed over to you, “Hey, hey,” he said your name so softly, “You alright?”

You let him help you up slowly, “I’ll live,” your voice was rough and you held onto him to steady yourself.

The bounty hunter held you for a moment with one arm while he inspected your face with his free hand. He brushed over your face so lightly that you barely felt it, and his hand trailed down to your neck where you had a cut from the knife.

“I’m ok,” you said in a more confident voice once you gathered your strength. You watched him look you over and for the first time in a while, you couldn’t read his body language. He was very careful with the way he touched you, but you could still feel the tension in his grip.

The Mandalorian lingered on you for a few moments before rage took over him again. He broke away from you and pulled his blaster back out. With a deep growl, he shot the Hutt’s dead body over and over again until his face was completely unrecognizable. You could feel the anger radiate from his body.

“Mando!” you shouted, “Mando!” you finally put your hand on his arm to get him to stop. You looked up at him with a similar expression that you had when you first met, and you let the silence linger as he calmed himself down. “I’m ok, Mando,” you finally said in a whisper.

He lowered his blaster and turned his attention to you. He cupped your face as he said your name, but you cut off his thought before he could say more.

“Hey Mando,” your eyes darted around the room, “Where’s your friend?”

This snapped the bounty hunter back into focus as he scanned the room. Dead bodies lay in every corner, and the only one that still had breath was Shand. He was still bound and lay at the edge of the room. He ran over and grabbed the bounty by her collar to lift her up, “Where did he go?” he growled.

Her voice was shallow, and you noticed that she was hit. It didn’t look fatal, but it was enough to knock the wind out of someone.

“You really think I don’t know who you are,” she said in a pointed tone, “The kid went to collect a much better bounty than mine,” and Mando immediately knew what she was implying. 

He growled and pushed her back down to the ground hard enough to knock her out before he turned to you, “We gotta get back to the ship. The kid’s in danger.”

“You go ahead, I’ll catch up.”

“What? No…”

“I’ll be ok, Mando. Everyone’s either dead or unconscious,” you reassured him. When he tried to protest again, you explained, “He has slaves locked up downstairs. I can’t leave them here.”

Mando immediately understood, “Ok,” he placed a hand on your shoulder. His thumb traced over you where his hand lay and he found himself lost in thought as he looked at you.

You parted your lips to say something, but decided against it. You cleared your throat and started again, “The kid needs you. Go,” you insisted, “I’ll be fine, I promise.”

He lingered for a moment before he dropped his hand down to take yours. You both looked down at your connected hands for a moment before he started to step away. You raised your arm to hold his as long as you could before he moved out of your reach. You watched him pick up his pace as he made his way out of the room to go help the child that became such an important part of your lives.

With a deep breath, you turned to go back towards the lower level where the other women were kept. Before you left the main room, you picked up a few weapons to arm yourself in case of any surprises. You found your way back to the cell without incident and used the blaster to blow the door open. You heard screams on the other side of the door, but they relaxed when they saw it was you on the other side.

The human spoke first, “What’s going on? We heard a lot of commotion from up there. What happened?”

You smiled, “Mando came back, just like I said he would,” you ushered the three out of the cell, “Come on, I'm getting you out of here.” You led the scared women back up to the main chamber, and they let out a series of cries when they saw the carnage there.

“Hey, hey,” you hushed them, “They’re all dead,” you smiled at them, “You’re all free.”

They stood still as they let your words sink in. Free. You knew exactly what thoughts ran through their heads as they processed what happened. It was the same thoughts you had when you first escaped your captivity and then joined the Mandalorian. You found yourself lost in your own thoughts and a smile lit up your face as you thought of him.

A goan from the corner of the room made all four of you jump, but you quickly shot at the body. Tension filled the room again, and you took charge to keep the now free women calm, “Come on, let search their pockets for credits and then get the hell out of here.”

By the time you made it back to the ship, Toro was dead and Peli had her droids cart the body away. The Mandalorian had the child securely in his arms and checked him for any injuries. You lingered in the doorway for a moment to watch him. You felt your heart flutter at how gentle he was with the child and you found your thoughts wonder. Did he consider the three of you to be a family? Did you?

The sound of your name shook you out of your head as you realized Peli was trying to get your attention. You jumped as you brought yourself back to the present, “Looks like I missed all the fun here.”

Mando looked up from the child and motioned for you to join you on the ship. You turned to thank the shop owner for everything before you walked across the landing pad. The child cooed at you with a big smile on his face when you approached.

“Did you miss me, little guy?” you asked with a smile as you pinched his cheeks.

“Ready to go?” Mando asked you.

You stood up straight to answer, “Yeah.” You let him lead you into the ship and you closed the door as he went to strap the child into his seat in the cockpit. You set the weapons and a bag you confiscated from the Hutt palace on the table as Mando came back into the cargo area. “This is your half,” you pointed to the bag that was filled with credits you pulled off the dead bodies.

“What about your half?” he asked.

“I gave it to the girls. To help them start their new lives,” your voice sounded upbeat, but your eyes betrayed you.

Mando could see the pain and sorrow in your face and he stepped closer to you and put his hands on your cheeks. “Hey,” he said your name to get you to look up at him, “I’m sorry about what happened. The last thing I want is something to happen to you.”

“I know, Mando,” you know he was genuine, and you never doubted him for a moment.

He gently pulled your head forward to touch his forehead with yours. You closed your eyes and sigh deeply as you lean into his embrace. You felt his thumbs stroke your cheeks in a comforting manor, and you brought your hands on rest on his shoulders. The two of you stayed like that for some time before he pulled away.

“Go rest, I’ll get us out of here,” and with that, Mando turned to head into the cockpit.

You turned your back towards your quarters, but a thought nagged at you. “Hey, Mando,” you started to say as you spun around. But before you could finish your thought, he was already gone from the room. You shrugged your shoulders as you thought to yourself, “Oh well. It’s probably better I don’t say anything anyway.”

Meanwhile, the Mandalorian was already at the helm with the child strapped into the seat behind him. The child cooed inquisitively, and Mando answered as if they were in a conversation. “I should tell her, huh?” he asked rhetorically. “I will, when the time is right,” he said with a sigh before he guided the ship off the planet and onto the next destination. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the love on this fic!! And yes, I am planning a sequel to this so be on the lookout for that soon!  
> Follow my writing tumblr @FlightlessAngelWings

**Author's Note:**

> So I have this outlined, and it's gonna be 3 chapters long. Obviously, the next part will be the flashback to where they first met. Honestly, I was feeling unsure about this one, but I got a comment on another fic and it re-motivated me.  
> Follow my writing tumblr @FlightlessAngelWings


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